ASHWAUBENON (NBC 26) — For as long as he can remember, baseball has been part of RJ Furcal Jr.'s life.
The son of former Major League Baseball All-Star Rafael Furcal grew up in big league clubhouses, spending countless days around the game while watching his father build a decorated professional career.
"Honestly, my first memories of my life have been baseball," Furcal Jr. said. "Since I can remember, I don't remember a lot from when I was 4 or 5 years old, but I remember baseball."
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For baseball fans, the Furcal name is instantly recognizable.
Rafael Furcal was the National League Rookie of the Year in 2000, a three-time All-Star and a World Series champion during a 14-year major league career.
For Furcal Jr., however, those memories are less about the accolades and more about the experiences.
One of his favorite childhood memories came while his father played for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I would run the bases after every game, even if I was allowed to or not," Furcal Jr. said with a laugh. "I wanted to run the bases. I would show up to the field every day, full uniform, full Dodgers uniform."
Those moments helped fuel a dream.
"You step on the field, you see 50,000 people looking at your dad and the team that he plays for, and it's exciting to watch," Furcal Jr. said. "It's like, I wanna do that. I wanna be able to do that one day."
Despite his father's success, Furcal Jr. said baseball was never forced on him.
"My dad was always like, 'I'm never gonna push you. I'm never gonna make you play,'" Furcal Jr. said. "But trust me, I pushed him to let me play. So I've always wanted to do it too."
Now playing summer ball with the Green Bay Rockers, Furcal Jr. is beginning to carve out a story of his own.
"When I was younger, yeah, I was kinda like, dang, maybe people are looking at me for my dad," Furcal Jr. said. "Now I'm like, well, his career is over now, it's my turn. Now I get to build my own story."
Rockers Field Manager Josh Merrill said Furcal Jr.'s baseball background was evident from the moment he stepped on the field.
"He brought kind of an infectious personality right away," Merrill said. "You can tell he knows the game. He's been around good coaches and obviously someone who's played at a very high level, so it was noticeable right from the rip."
Merrill said Furcal Jr. quickly fit into the clubhouse and stood out because of both his personality and skill set.
"He plays loud," Merrill said. "He swings the bat fast, he runs fast, he throws the baseball hard from the outfield. As far as a player, he does everything that you want him to do."
Furcal Jr.'s production has already started to show up on the field.
On Wednesday night, he recorded three hits, two home runs and five RBIs with his father in attendance.
Still, Furcal Jr. says the biggest lessons he's learned haven't come from statistics or accolades.
His father, he said, has taught him the importance of confidence.
"The biggest thing he's always taught me is confidence," Furcal Jr. said. "It's a hard sport. You fail more than you succeed. Just going out there every day, being me, having fun and enjoying the game has been the best part for me."
As he continues his baseball journey, Furcal Jr. is focused on staying present and appreciating every opportunity.
"I'd say the biggest takeaway for me is to not take it for granted because it goes by so quick," Furcal Jr. said. "I can't even believe I'm already 20 years old, two years through college. It goes by so quick, so just really living in the moment, enjoying it, not looking at the past, not looking at the future, being where my feet are."
For now, that journey has brought him to Green Bay — a place he says already feels like a perfect fit.
"I got here, I showed up and I was like, this is awesome," Furcal Jr. said. "I love noise. I love music. It's fun to be here playing around a lot of people and doing what I love."
